Saturday, February 26, 2011

In less than a week I will be in Maui on vacation. Which means, of course, that I can't stop thinking about what my vacation costumes are going to be. I usually build my outfits around a cardigan and a pair of tights (which are both year-round essentials in San Francisco), so it's kind of crazy to think of how little clothing I will be allowed to wear for a week. These collages are my dream outfits for a warm getaway. Click on them to see more details!

Friday, February 25, 2011

This vintage 1930's dress (from Female Hysteria Vintage) is definitely one of the dreamiest things I own. It's made of light-as-air silk and the mint color makes me unreasonably happy. I was saving it to wear when the weather doesn't require tights but I just couldn't resist... and I have to admit I relished the challenge of layering it up for the cold weather. Francesca took these photos as we ventured downtown to check out the lovely new things at Zara (I bought a dress and a cardigan, oops) and search for the perfect shade of light pink nail polish (mission not yet accomplished). We also went to Barneys to ogle the Celine bags, smell expensive candles, and pet even more expensive clothes. Left empty-handed but I do enjoy seeing pretty new things and wondering who might give them a home.

P.S. That yucky red mark you can spot on my wrist in several photos is the sad result of burning myself on my clothes steamer. Womp.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Calling all purveyors of vintage and handmade loveliness: Fancy Fine is now accepting sponsors for March! If you are interested in my rates and other details please email me at hi@ashleyording.com. I will only have a few spots open so don't hesitate to find out more! I love helping small businesses promote their awesomeness, especially when they are places where I already spend my hard-earned pennies. Just look at the lovely sponsors in the left column to get an idea of what sorts of shops I adore!

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Yesterday was perfect: a day trip to Petaluma to visit my favorite antique stores, getting lost in wine country and ending up on a balcony with the most amazing view and a glass of champagne, and finally bringing home a bag of some of the most beautiful vintage I have ever found. This was my adventure costume for the day, consisting of my favorite shades of brown. The little velvet hat in the last few photos is one of my new finds (I couldn't resist wearing it out of the shop). My favorite score of the day was a beautiful brown and cream dress that some cute lady had worn on her wedding day in 1941... and it actually came with a photograph of her wearing it! I wish every vintage dress I found came with that extra little bit of history.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Sometimes the best nights are the ones that involve silly photo shoots for no reason. One of my favorite partners in crime, Raina, was game to let me dress her up in one of my newest frocks and an amazing fascinator from Bohemian Bisoux. We somehow ended up on the floor, passing the camera back and forth to each other until some random guy discovered us and we were laughing too much to keep going.

Pssst... many amazing (AMAAAAZING) things going into the shop soon. I'm pretty sure I want to keep every single thing for myself, but I'm going to be a good girl and share them with you instead. So stay tuned!

Saturday, February 19, 2011

I did a mini photo shoot with Francesca for the shop last week and these are a few "behind the scenes" shots. Donut made herself comfortable on a pile of dresses and proceeded to nap there in various cute positions for hours. The blue-walled room in my apartment was recently occupied by my brother but he just moved out (and onto a sailboat with his girl). My friend Julia who I've known since we were both twelve years old is moving in shortly, but until then I've got an empty room with amazing natural light. Hopefully I can squeeze in a few more shoots before it's filled with things!

My new sparkly shoes from Tic Tac Toes. They are so darn comfortable and I don't even mind that they leave trails of glitter.

Francesca was a reluctant but lovely model... this is the darling outfit she wore over to my place.